Red Stapler Consulting

I am thrilled to announce the official formation of Red Stapler Consulting. http://redstaplerconsulting.net/ Yes for those of you asking and chuckling, that Red Stapler! For those of you who are saying, huh? Go rent the movie Office Space.

The name is not only a bit of silliness from one of my all time favorite movies, but I think it helps relay the message that the goal in both this blog and Red Stapler is to eliminate the silly, redundant, impractical and nonsensical aspects of running your business.

Red Stapler Consulting was developed to serve the different needs of independents, freelancers and small businesses. We provide all of the services that they would receive if they had the money and resources to hire a full office staff, office manager and Operations Director. The services we provide include:

Having been born of experience working with and knowing several indies and freelancers, Red Stapler has a unique model for providing these services. We recognize that the average independent would hire office staff or an assistant if they could afford it. The problem is that generally they can’t. So they are left with no option but to find the time to get leads, pitch to new clients, produce the work or make the sales plus handle all of the day to day aspects of running their businesses. What do they do when there is an aspect of running that business that they either are not good at, don’t like or just don’t have the time for? That is where Red Stapler comes to the rescue. If the one thing that the freelancer needs help with is making sure the invoices get out the door on a regular basis, we’ll do just their invoicing. Or their file maintenance or their contact follow-up or whatever services fill the need of that specific individual. We provide a full service menu of work in an ala carte format. Take one, two, three or all of our services, customized to the specific needs of the particular business.

Red Stapler is also there to “save the day” when that huge project comes along. The one that the independent knows is going to be their entire life 24/7 for the next ____ amount of time (weeks, months, etc..) Red Stapler can handle the basic necessities of keeping the business running to allow the freelancer or independent to be their fullest, most creative, most productive selves.

That is the sole purpose of Red Stapler – to relieve the indie of the day to day, occasionally mundane, repetitive tasks that take them away from being artistic, gifted, prolific, producing those billable hours and finishing projects.

The business idea and model developed from experiences working with and watching/listening to the experiences of several brilliant, hardworking entrepreneurs, freelancers and independents. I was privileged to be there to share the joys of their successes and the frustration of some of their failures. A good friend, who is also an entrepreneur was my first inspiration, “cheerleader” and sounding board. He listened, debated, advised and supported as the idea behind Red Stapler (which went through several name and model changes along the way) incubated. Along the way, I discovered Twitter and a whole new world of inspiration and support. I read innumerable tweets from so many amazing people who had found their skills and passions and taken the leap to build a life with those things as the base. Each one made me feel that tug of entrepreneurship a little more and a little more each day. A chance encounter with Tara Hunt, the infamous missrogue, ( http://www.horsepigcow.com/ ) led to a dialogue that made me realize the only thing standing in the way of pursuing my own rainbow was me. Tara, Connie Reece, Susan Reynolds, Laura K, Laura (Pistachio) Fitton, Ann (AnnOhio) Miller , Michelle (chelpixie) Wolverton and so many more phenomenal women and men (too many to list, unfortunately) exhibited ambition, enthusiasm and transparency that gave me a new understanding of what it meant to be a successful entrepreneur in today’s world. My final excuses were pushed away by watching the amazing growth and success of the tech and creative communities and coworking movement here in Philadelphia. I remember reading the Independents Hall website ( http://www.indyhall.org/ ) one day and finally saying, if they can do it, why can’t I? So here I go! And Red Stapler is born.

I’m excited about the future. I am excited about the opportunities. I am excited about the new life Red Stapler will provide. But I am most excited by the prospect of what Red Stapler can do to help those brave, exciting, creative independents and freelancers take their businesses into the stratosphere of success.